The Misfits of Mt Crumpit
by Typewriter of Trash
Summary: Ask any Who in Whoville and they'll tell you about the Grinch. No self-respecting Who would be caught dead of being ignorant of such a tale. Even so, like all great legends throughout time and history, things were forgotten, somethings were changed and some stories were left untold. *Set long before the events of the movie.*
1. Chapter 1

**I'm gonna be honest, I don't know WHY I'm writing this and I'm not sure if I'll finish it. But, if I do continue it I'd just like to say the first part of the story will take place before the movie and will lead up to it eventually.**

 **Also, this is not a Grinch/OC fic. If anything, I hope to make it look more like an annoying brother and sister relationship between them.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy my pile of holiday bullshit.**

 **Bonus: Take a shot every time you read the word Christmas.**

* * *

 _Ask any Who in Whoville and they'll tell you about the Grinch. No self-respecting Who would be caught dead of being ignorant of such a tale. Even so, like all great legends throughout time and history, things were forgotten and some stories were left untold._

 _This is the story of not just how the Grinch_ stole _Christmas, far more than that. It's a story of an unlikely friendship. A story about a love no one would have expected to last the test of time. A story of envy and pride. And most importantly, a story of two misfits trying to discover their place in their world._

 _And to begin such a tale, we must go back to the very night when it all began..._

* * *

"I want to go!"

"Harriette, no. You're too young for such an event."

Harriette frowned up at her father. "Papa, I promise I'll be good."

Her father shook his head as he placed his favorite red cap ontop of his balding head. "It's not the matter of you being good," The old Who explained. "It's just that with a party like that going on I'm afraid I'll lose you in the...Well, the madness!"

"But I promise I'll stick to your side." The girl insisted as her father began to walk out the door. "Look I've been practicing my puppy dog face! I think I've perfected it!" She wasted no time demonstrating it to him, puckering out her small lip and winding her large brown eyes.

The sight made the old Who laugh. "And why on earth, child, would you need to perfect that?"

Harriette grinned at this, giving him a knowing tap to her small button nose. "I figured if I make people feel guilty they'll want to buy more stuff from you, Papa."

Her father shook his head and kneeled down to his seven-year old's small height. "I know you want to help, dear, but you're only five. I don't need you worrying about such things. Besides, it's not right to make people feel guilty for not doing something for you."

The child nodded solemnly, looking down at her feet. "It's just...I just wanted to help so we can have a nice Christmas like the rest of town."

Ah, he thought. So that's what this is about.

Her father patted her wild blonde hair gently as he stood up. "There is more to Christmas then the decorations and presents, Harriette. Remember that."

She nodded and watched her father walk out of there small little house that was neatly tucked away on the side of Mt. Crumpit. Practically hidden away from the town since no one dared to come up the treacherous mountain but her father.

Harriette's father then walked over to a large wooden cart that was strapped to an equally old, skinny horse with knobby knees that appeared like they would give out any second. In the cart itself was what one would believe to be junk, well, refurbish junk.

He climbed up to the seat of the cart, taking one last time to look over to the small figure standing in the doorway. He tipped his cap to her and smiled, yelling out: "I'll be back before you know it! Stay inside where it's safe!" With that, he snapped his reins startling the old horse into motion.

Harriette watched the figure of her father's cart disappear around the corner of the mountain before closing the door. She leaned against the splinter infested frame of the door, giving a small sigh.

 _Another Christmas Eve without Papa_. She thought.

* * *

Unknown to the child there was another Who that was alone on the exact same mountain. It was a boy who was a year older than her. He sat huddled up in the mouth of a cave that nearly reached the top of Mt. Crumpit with an ugly frown on his face as he watched the town below begin to light up as darkness drew nearer. He knew what this meant, especially at this time of year. Every Who would come out to celebrate Christmas Eve with their stupid Whobilation. It made his stomach turn as he thought about the meaningless 'festivities'.

The boy, you see, was not like any other Who. He knew this well since he was young and it wasn't just the fact that he hated the most beloved holiday of Who-kind. No. It was also the fact he was born covered in a layer of thick green fur.

Life wasn't easy for this fuzzball. Being taunted and humiliated almost every day of his life for something he couldn't change. And then there was this Christmas crap -oh, how the boy loathed it. He despised how like a light switch the Whos would go nuts after the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers were finished and go off preparing for that Holiday like the world would end if they didn't.

His bitter thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in his stomach. He grunted in discomfort as he clutched his rumbling belly.

"I can't be hungry." He said to himself. His body protested, insisting he was.

The boy frowned. When he had run away to here he didn't plan on how he would get his food. He had planned the elevator and the zip-line for the cave, but not that minor detail.

Getting up he walked over to the edge of a cliff that was at the mouth of the cave, even in the fading light he still had a good view of almost every little thing in the area. His yellow eyes scanned the mountainside hoping to find anything that would possibly supply him with food when he saw the most glorious thing he had ever laid eyes upon!

Well.

Besides Martha.

It was a dump. A large, beautiful dump rimming with fresh trash from those wasteful Whos.

At first, though, the boy was hesitant to go down there. True, he had a stomach that could withstand nearly anything but he still had standards. Even though they were very low, they were still considered standards.

But alas, standards came second to the pain in stomach and the boy began his trek down.

* * *

As the boy began his way down the mountain the little girl was still tucked away in her small shack of a home. She had grown bored within the short time her father had left. At first, she went through her picture books, attempting to practice her reading only to become frustrated with herself when she couldn't figure out certain words she was sure she knew. Then she tried to play a game of checkers with herself, but what was the fun in that when you would win no matter what? Finally, she had gone into her small trunk to play a bit of dress up with her clothes.

She stood now on the rickety old stool her father had crafted years ago to look at herself in a mirror. She held up the skirts of the dress her father had gotten her last year. It was too big then and it fit a little better now, with one sleeve sliding off a shoulder making the whole dress seemed lopsided. Her father had bought it for her a size or two too big, telling her that way she could slowly grow into it thus making the dress last longer. She didn't understand the logic behind this but didn't argue with her father. She was just thankful he had bought her such a pretty dress.

It was then, as she stood there looking at the dress something occurred to her. She had never really gotten her father a gift before. Each year since she could remember, he would just say she was his Christmas gift-but of course he was her dad. He was supposed to say stuff like that.

Little Harriette tapped her round chin, thinking to herself that she should surprise her Papa with a gift this year. But where on earth would she find on something for him? It took a minute for her small brain to work out the perfect solution.

The dump.

Yes, as odd as it seemed the girl thought it was perfect. After all, she and her father went there every so often to see if they could find anything to 'refurbish', as her father put it, so he could try re-selling it to the Whos who were looking for a last minute gift that was cheap and quick.

Making up her mind, Harriette was determined to find her father the best-blasted gift any seven-year-old could get for their parents from a pile of waste.

She slipped on her shoes, which were a size too small, and her coat that was filled with patches to cover up the worn out holes. She was ready to brace whatever mother nature had in store for her.

Before she went out she paused for a moment, remembering the cookies in the chill box that she made for Santa. She quickly scampered over and set them out with a glass of water, since they had run out of milk the night before. Eyeing the cookies greedily she snuck one in her pocket.

"Santa won't mind..." She told herself. After all, the man probably got to eat only one thousand cookies that night by the time he got there.

Happy now that everything was as it should be the naive little girl pulled open the flimsy wooden door and went out on the short trek to the dump to seek her treasure.

* * *

Now for a quick change of scenery. We go south of the mountain down into the small town of Whoville, a town that was, to put it mildly, fixated on Christmas. Of course, they celebrated other holidays; Easter, Day, Black Friday - a close second to Christmas, etc. Still, none held a candle to that one night each year when Santa would come in the night, break into your home and leave a pile of gifts for you to find the next morning.

Tonight was the night the Whos held their yearly Whobilation, to celebrate the final hours before Christmas Day arrived. The town was all set; decorations were up in full force, carolers dotted the street bursting with songs as people flooded the streets to go to the town square where they would go see who was this year's Holiday Cheermaster before all the different contests and festivities began.

Among these people was Harriette's father, Huebert Whomitt. Hue to friends. On his cart he could see over the sea of people, bustling back and forth before the events began. He would tip his hat and smile when people called out his name, wishing him a Merry Christmas. It touched the old Whos heart how warm and kind people got around this time of year.

Well, most people.

As he pulled his cart off to the side in the town's square he caught sight of the Mayor's family arriving to take place on the stage.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" The Mayor's wife, Cornelia May-Who, snapped at her two children. "Oh, where is your blasted father?"

Cranking his head to get a better look he saw the two little May-Whos trailing behind her like ducklings; Augustus, a chubby boy of eight, and Lisel, a small child with large, square glasses.

But that still left...

"Hello, Hue." A warm, friendly voice said behind him.

Hue turned around with a lopsided grin on his weathered face. "Why, hello Mayor."

Now unlike many Mayor's in the past, Mayor Oliver May-Who was a fair and kind man. Perhaps too kind for his own good. He had thin, graying brown hair and large belly from indulging in one too many holiday sweets.

The Mayor patted the old horse gently and looked back to the old Who. "Tell me, Hue, what do you have in store today?"

Hue chuckled with a shrug. "Nothing but the usual, sir. A few coats that have been cleaned and sewn, repainted toys and a few more bobs and ends."

The Mayor nodded. "Try to keep a few toys me to look at. I might get Agustus and Lisele something."

Hue agreed to it with a laugh.

"I better get going now. If we don't start soon Cornelia will never let me hear the end of this." With that, the Mayor left to go join his family on stage.

When he was gone the old Who jumped off the cart and began to set up shop, not really taking much notice of how a few things in town were a bit 'off'.

As he began to pull out some of the coats he had Harriette patch up a group of women passed by, chattering and gossiping away.

"Did you hear what happened?"

"Oh, yes, how _dreadful_!"

"I heard he almost hit the Mayor's son with the tree!"

"I always knew he was a vile little monster."

"Quite right. Something was always off about that boy."

That made Hue stop for a minute, looking back as the group of women disappeared into the crowd. _What curious conversation,_ he thought. _And what was this about Oliver's son almost getting hit by a tree?_ Hue had half a mind to go over to him and ask him about it now but the band started up, letting everyone know the show was about to begin...

* * *

Back up on Mt. Crumpit, the two children made their way to the dump, both unaware of the other. The first to arrive was Harriette. The girl had been there many times before, to her this was her playground. A place full of hidden wonders buried underneath all the rubbish.

She walked carefully into the dump, jumping in fright as the garbage chute coughed up another round of last-minute garbage from town. Pulling herself together Harriette dived right in. Her father always spoke about how the Whos in town would throw away unwanted things right before Christmas Day to make room for the new items, so she was sure she could find one thing that would be perfect for her father.

Harriette decided to start from the back since all the newer things landed closer to the chute. The small child quickly disappeared behind a pile of bags, concealing her from the eyes of the boy who arrived soon after.

Cautiously he looked around. He didn't see anything or anyone, just a bunch of junk. Listening closely he could hear the faint clanks and clunks of things being moved around but he thought perhaps it was just some of the garbage giving out on the bottom of a pile. He wasted no time searching for food, the pain in his stomach getting worse with every passing second. The boy had never truly experienced hunger like this, his two 'mothers' had always doted on him- even if he was indifferent to their coddling.

While Harriette was careful not to make much noise the boy threw all caution to the wind. He tore through bags and shifted through cans, and bottles looking for something to eat.

Naturally, Harriette became startled by the noise. She tried to convince herself that it was just a small animal, like a raccoon or perhaps a fox looking for something, but her opinions changed as she heard grumbling.

"Something...There must be something..."

Seconds later she heard a loud smash and nearly jumped out of her boots from fright. Harriette knew the smart things was to run, to go back home and wait for her father-yet she didn't do that. Instead, a rush of curiosity overtook the child, making her peep her head out just a bit beyond the pile of trash to see what exactly was keeping her company.

Before she had the chance to get a good look the garbage chute gave out a warning call. Harriette didn't react quick enough as a garbage bag came flying out, nearly missing her. Harriette had jumped out of the way in time with a scream, but in doing so she had not only exposed herself but had startled the boy.

The boy's head shot up and as soon as he saw that he was not alone he gave a cry of surprise. What resulted was a screaming match of shorts, both children now startled by the other. Both of them ran to hide behind something, trying to make sense of what was happening.

For the boy, it was a mixture of surprise and irritation. He had came here to ESCAPE other children and other Whos for that matter. Why was there another person here of all places? He had never heard of a Who went near Mt. Crumpit unless they had a death wish!

For Hariette, after the initial shock had faded away what overtook was her natural sense of curiosity, which lead her to more trouble than she'd care to admit. Did this boy live up here? Was he friendly? So many questions buzzed in the girl's head that it almost made her dizzy.

Shaking her head, Harriette cautiously peaked out of her hiding place, looking around for the boy.

"Hello?" She called out. No answer. Harriette stepped out of her spot and began to slowly walk to the place where she had last seen the boy. "Are you still here?"

The boy didn't move, he didn't breathe. Why should he trust this girl? For all, he knew this could be another trick. Without thinking he ran a hand over his cheek, flinching as he felt the scabby cuts that blasted razor left behind.

"Please," The girl said in a tiny voice. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

The boy couldn't stop a snort from escaping him. He smacked a hand over his mouth, eyes widening as he waited for the sound of her footsteps to head his way.

He waited.

And waited...

He heard nothing. The boy hoped that perhaps the girl didn't hear him.

Well, he was wrong.

When he turned his head around the corner to see what was going on he was greeted by a pair of large brown eyes.

"Hi."

The boy jumped back with a scream. His hand dug into the soft, fresh snow and flung it at the girl's face. It had the desired effect he had hoped for. The girl was stunned, spitting out clumps of snow from her mouth and trying to swat it out of her eyes. While she was occupied with that the boy made his mad dash for freedom.

Quickly getting over the shock of the snow stinging her face, Harriette followed the boy, running as fast as her skinny legs would go.

"Wait!" She yelled as the boy picked up speed. "Please, wait!"

"Go away!" The boy screamed back in an odd, nasal-ish voice.

The boy had suddenly come to what he had feared; a dead end. Infront of him was a slab of rock that he would have to climb up if he wanted to escape the pesky girl. Sadly for him, Harriette was faster than he thought.

"Please!" Harriette panted out as she reached him, taking a minute to catch her breath. "I didn't mean to-"

"Go away!" The boy snapped once more. "Leave me alone!"

Harriette shrunk back from him. Her stomach tightened with embarrassment and a bit of shame. "I'm sorry..."

The boy only scoffed. It didn't matter to him if she was sorry or not, in a few minutes he would go back to his new home to have peace and quiet. With his back turned to her the boy began to climb up the rock slab, taking care to make sure he had a good grip on the icy surface.

Harriette watched him curiously, taking a step forward to get a better look. As she did she realized something that she didn't notice in the middle of the excitement. Either the boy was wearing a green fur coat underneath what looked like a uniform or it was he, himself, who was green.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"None of your business."

"Don't you live in Whoville?"

The boy rolled his eyes, he would be glad to get away from the pesky child. "I said, mind your own-GHA!"

The boy lost his footing on a particularly slim edge and fell a few feet down onto his back. Harriette ran over to him, hovering over the dazed boy.

"Oh-are you alright?!" She asked, looking down at his...His green face?

The boy groaned something as he shook his head. Blinking his eyes a few times he focused in on Harriette's face, almost immediately noticing the perplexed look on it. He felt cheeks flare up as well as a bit of anger.

" _Stop. Staring_." He growled, catching the girl's attention.

Harriette complied quickly, giving him some space as he started to get up. "I'm sorry." She said again. "I...I was just curious-I've never seen-"

"Never seen what?" The boy challenged. "Never seen someone like this?" He waved a hand to his face, inviting her to get a good look. She didn't though. She looked off to the side, almost afraid he would go off on her if she did. To this the boy grunted, brushing past her. "Shouldn't you be down _there_ with everyone else?"

Harriette looked up at him as he headed back to the dump. She was surprised he was still talking to her.

"No." She said, trotting after him. "I live here."

The boy snorted. "Yeah right."

She glared at the back of the boy's furry green head. "I do." She snapped. "I live up here with my Papa."

 _Great_ , he thought. _I'll be seeing her often...Maybe I can move to another mountain._

Harriette ran up to him, trying to keep up with his quick strides. "Why are you up here? We never get any visitors."

"I live here."

Harriette tilted her head to the side. "Then why haven't I seen you?"

"Let me rephrase that," The boy sighed, going back to what he was trying to eat before he had so rudely been interrupted. "I moved here."

Harriette only nodded deciding it would be best not to press her luck. She stood by the boy as he bent down to pick something off the ground, wondering if he too was looking for something to give as a gift. That thought was wiped clear off her slate as she realized he was holding shards of broken glass.

"What are you-" She didn't have a chance to finish as the boy began to munch down the shards as if they were chips. She stood there in shock before sputtering out: "Yo-you don't _EAT_ glass!"

The boy looked at her up and down. "Are you still here?" The boy grasped another piece of glass, ready to pop it into his mouth when he felt a sharp smack on his hand, knocking the glass out of it. He stood there looking from the glass to his hand and then to the one who smacked him.

"What's the big idea?!"

Harriette shook her head. "If you're hungry you should eat this."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever it is you've got I don't-" He stopped when he saw her pull out the cookie. It was broken and crumbled, yes, but it still looked good enough to eat.

Harriette made a face when she saw the state the food was in and held it out to him. "Sorry that it's all-" She didn't have time to finish that thought. The boy's long, hairy fingers snatched the cookie right out of her hand and shoved it into his mouth with loud grunts and wet smacking sounds.

The girl suppressed a giggle with her hand. "You sure were hungry." The boy didn't answer, he was busy getting the last of the crumbs out of his fur when his stomach growled again. Harriette raised an eyebrow before an idea popped into her head. "If you like, I have more at home."

Now this caught his attention. "More?"

She nodded. "Yep. A whole big plate. You can come back with me and have some if you want to."

 _Maybe she's not useless after all_ , he thought.

The boy shrugged, not wanting to act too happy about the idea. "Sure, I guess..."

The answer was just she was looking for. Harriette gave him a wide toothy grin and grabbed his hand, catching him off guard with the sudden contact. "Come on then!" She laughed, dragging him behind her. "Oh, my name is Harriette!" She added, looking back to him. "What's yours?"

"Um..." The boy hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had heard about what had happened that day at school. In fact, he was wondering how she wasn't terrified of him when he was pretty much awarded the title as the school freak. "...Grinch..."

He braced himself for her to stop and look at him in terror or at the very least start to laugh at him, but it never came.

Harriette just quirked up an eyebrow, thinking how odd of a name it was _. Yet again_ , she reminded herself _, he was an odd boy_. "Well, it's very nice to meet you Grinch." She said. "Now hurry up, I'm freezing my butt off out here."

Grinch was confused, to say the least. How had she not heard of him?


	2. Chapter 2

To Grinch's surprise, the trip from the dump to Harriette's home was faster than he had expected, it was just south of the dump, no more than a ten-minute hike. When she said she lived on the mountain with just her father apparently she wasn't kidding.

The cabin was made of old logs that had somehow managed to stand the test of time and next to it was a shack of a stable that had a large pile of hay within a small fenced area. It was well hidden from sight due to a gathering of large spruces and pines circling the home. As they approached it Grinch couldn't help but notice one small-no, a big detail missing from this house. There were no Christmas decorations! No tinsel to be seen or those obnoxious lawn inflatables or a single strand of lights on the rim of the tin roof.

The boy was tempted to point this out but Harriette gave him a sharp tug to bring him into her equally less than festive home.

Cozy would be the nice way of describing it, but because Grinch was not particularly known for his large heart he saw it as unbearably cramped and cluttered. Most of it was random tools, nails, nuts and bolts along in what Harriette told him was their kitchen, and living room.

Harriette pulled off her coat and began to clear the small table off, dumping the tools into a wooden crate.

"Sorry for the mess." She said as Grinch eyed up the plate of cookies. "Papa was doing some last minute projects before going into town."

"Uh-huh, fascinating," Grinch mumbled. He licked his lips as the cookies continued to call out to him.

Harriette didn't notice, she was busy running around clearing things off the counters. She never had anyone come over, not even her friend Lisele, she was brimming with nervous energy in the hopes of making a good impression.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked, running to the chill box. "We don't have milk-I used the last of it up- but we have water and juice-"

 _CLANK!_

Harriette snapped her head up in time to see the empty plate settle on the table and Grinch holding one last cookie, the rest stuffed into his mouth making him look like a radioactive chipmunk. He had his mouth open wide, ready to stuff the last one in only to realize he was caught red-handed.

Swallowing some of the food in his mouth, he gave a nervous laugh. " _Hehe_...Did you...Want some?"

* * *

"And now," Oliver May-Who's voice boomed over the cheers of the crowd. "Our Holiday Cheermeister will lead us in the Winter Waltz with their choice of partner." After flashing a big smile the spotlight drifted off of him to the Cheermeister and their dance partner while the band began to play a soft pace song as they began to dance.

Once the spotlight was off of them the May-Who family breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Now can I go hang out with my friends?" Agustus, their eldest son, demanded.

"Of course, Gussie." His mother cooed, patting his hair into place. "Don't be long now, we still have a few more challenges to host..."

Agustus didn't hear her, he was already running as fast as his stubby legs could carry him to his group of friends.

Little Lisele, their youngest, was playing with her tight brown curls while eyeing up a baby doll that was in Hue's cart. Her father noticed this and leaned down to his daughter, whispering in her ear if she'd like to say hello to Harriette's father. The girl nodded shyly, taking her father's hand as he leads the way while Cornelia busy reapplying her lipstick.

Hue was finishing a business deal with one of the few Whos who came to look at his cart that evening when the father and daughter came for a visit.

"Thank you again, sir." Hue said as he handed the Who a bag of wooden toys. "Have a Merry Christmas."

The Who nodded with a smile, handing the money over to Hue before walking off.

The Mayor cleared his throat to catch Hue's attention. "Hello, Hue. Is this a bad time?..."

"Oh, no no. Not at all. How can I help you, sir?"

"Well, it's Lisele," He said, nodding his head to the little girl shyly hiding behind his leg. "I noticed she was eyeing one of the toys."

"Say no more." Hue looked down at the little girl, smiling kindly. "Now don't be shy, I know you and Harriette are good friends." The girl peaked her head out a bit more to nod. "Come on now, show me what you want and I'm sure your father and I can come to an agreement."

Liesel looked to her father for reassurance. He just chuckled and told her to go on. Listening to him, Liesel went to the cart to point out the doll to Hue.

The Mayor smiled at the scene, but the smile evaporated from his face when he heard the familiar disapproving ' _tsk'_ of his wife.

"Not this again, Oliver." She hissed in his ear. "I've told you I don't want the children or I to be involved in any of your _'charity cases'."_

The Mayor turned sharply to meet his wife's icy blue eyes. She was beautiful, yes. Tall, slender with soft light brown hair. Cornelia was awarded Ms. Whoniverse five years in a row to her grace, charm, and looks, but Oliver, who I dare say was blinded by all three of these things when he was a young man, knew full well by now that she was a judgemental and materialistic woman.

"This is not a charity case," The Mayor insisted. "Lisele wanted one of his dolls."

Cornelia turned up her prim nose with disgust in such a way that would make a Star-Belly Sneetch proud. "It's bad enough that she got garbage from his daughter last year as a school gift but now we have to pay for it?"

The Mayor shook his head. He knew this was a losing battle from years of experience, it was better to let her fume it out.

Cornelia crossed her arms in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently whilst glancing around the crowd looking for her son. "You know," she said. "Agustus was telling me last night how unfair it is that he's never been the Cheermeister..."

"We've been over this, Cornelia." The Mayor hissed. "The title of Cheermeister goes to the Who who needs-"

"Holiday cheer the most. Yes, yes but he's your son. For one year can't you bend the rules and sway the public like a normal politician so our son can have just a sliver of spotlight?"

The Mayor frowned. "Agustus is a fortunate child. There are people who deserve the title more than him..."

"Oh!" Cornelia flared up, her cheeks becoming as red as her lipstick. "Like that-that-spinster?!" She snapped, pointing to this year's Cheermeister who was lost in the sea of dancing Whos.

"She lost her husband this year, she deserves a bit of joy this season." The Mayor said. "Besides, the minimum age requirement is fifteen, therefore I don't want to hear another word of this until he meets the requirements."

Cornelia stuck her nose back into the air, acting like a spoiled child who was told they couldn't have a toy. The Mayor was tempted to say something to try to calm his wife down, that was until Lisele came bounding over with a baby doll.

"Look Daddy! Look Mommy!" She beamed, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Cornelia's lips twitched up into a snarl of a smile. "How... _Charming,_ dear."

Hue walked over, chuckling at Lisele's excitement. "When I told her Harriette had sewn the dress for this doll she insisted she had to have it..."

At her friend's name, Lisele looked back to Hue and asked him why she wasn't at school today?

"Oh, she was feeling ill this morning. But I know she'll be ready to go back after the break..." He paused as he noticed Cornelia eyeing him up and down. He stood a bit stiffer and gave a curt nod to her. "Mrs. May-Who."

"Mr. Whomitt." She replied in a smooth, icy voice. "You look lovely this evening with your...Um...Sideburns?"

"Muttonchops."

"Yes, how rustic." She sighed. She looked down at her daughter and took the doll from her. "Let me carry that for you, sweetie. I want you to go find your brother and tell him to meet us on the stage soon."

Lisele nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Cornelia looked back to the Mayor and told him to not be late before giving Hue an award-winning smile, then she left with full intent to drop the doll off in the first trash can she saw.

"She's a keeper, sir." Hue joked once Cornelia was out of hearing range. He looked over at his friend, giving him a friendly nudge. "How did a fella' like you get lucky enough to marry a woman like that?"

"I was young, I was very stupid and I was slightly drunk."

The two shared a laugh for a moment before Hue remembered the question he had been aching to ask the Mayor for almost an hour now.

"Pardon me, sir, I've just remembered something..." Hue then explained how he heard that something happened today that involved his son and another boy, as he did so the other man's face paled a bit. "My point is sir...What exactly happened?"

The Mayor bit his lip, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention. Once he was sure the Mayor pointed to a dimly lighted home down the street. "Do you know Rose and Clarnella?"

"I do, why, just last year they ask me if I could put together a special surprise for their lad..."

The Mayor nodded gravely. "Yes, their boy...You see, today in Agustus's class they were doing their gift giving-as they do every year. Now, everyone had given their gifts except this boy-oh what was him name...Gerald?Gretchen-no that's a girls name...Grinch! As yes, Grinch. Well, the boy hadn't given his gift yet and came out with a bag on his head. When they finally got him to take it off, my son says he had...Shaving cuts on his face."

Hue titled his head and scratched at his grey-whiskered chin. "Why on earth would he have shaving cuts? He's only eight, I assume."

"How do I explain this...He's different, not like the rest of us. He has some type of condition I presume- but that's not the point. My son said some of the children started to laugh, but he tried to stop it. It didn't work and then..." The Mayor paused, feeling sick as he imagined the scene before him. "The boy simply...Snapped."

Hue's eyes had grown wider with each word. "He threw the tree."

The Mayor nodded. "Yes, he did. He fled the scene soon after and no one has seen him sense. We've talked to Rose and Clarnella, hoping to find out where he could have gone but they were as lost as we are. A few people said they saw him heading towards the mountains but I wouldn't think the boy would be crazy enough to go up there...No offense, Hue." He added quickly.

But Hue didn't catch the last bits. When he heard that the boy might be up in the mountains his heart dropped. "Harriette..."

"What was that?"

"I need to get back home." Hue said suddenly, turning around to climb the cart.

"Hue-wait, the Whobilation isn't over yet."

"I'm sorry sir, but...I need to get back to my daughter." Not letting the Mayor fit in another syllable, Hue snapped the reins sending old stead into motion. His heart began to race in time with the steady clops of the horse'shoves on the pavement, he could only hope that this Grinch boy was nowhere near his daughter...

* * *

Harriette was sitting at the table, absent-mindedly scooping a spoonful of peanut butter into her mouth as she watched Grinch chug down a can of two-year-old tomato soup. Her stomach lurched as the soup began to drip out of the corners of his mouth in to his hair. A few second's later he slammed the can down. Harriette was about to take a breath of relief when Grinch gave out a monstrous belch, sending a deadly smell into the air.

 _If boys are like this_ , she thought as she held her breath. _Then I'm glad I never got a baby brother._

Grinch kicked his feet up on the table and leaned back in his chair, giving his bulging stomach a satisfied pat.

"Ahhh, that hit the spot." He sighed.

Harriette giggled. "If I keep you around any longer you might eat us out of house and home."

Grinch looked at her from the corner of his eye and said; "You calling me fat?"

Harriette's face froze. "No, that wasn't what I meant..."

"I was joking."

"...Oh..."

They sat in awkward silence for a bit when Harriette asked him what his family was like?

"Don't have one." He answered. Grinch couldn't contain a smirk from the look on her face.

"Are you an orphan?"

"Nope. I got sick of them and...Everyone else." His voice suddenly became serious. "I left because I got sick of how..."He paused.

Why was he suddenly about to give her his life story? Why would she care, they had just met? Grinch shrugged his shoulders and grumbled; "I just want to be on my own."

Harriette didn't say anything. She couldn't understand why he would want to be alone, especially in a place like this. She bit back the temptation to ask him about it and waited for him to talk next.

It didn't take long. Grinch finally pointed out how there were no Christmas decorations. "Do you guys hate it or something?" He asked, with a hint of hope.

Harriette furrowed her brows and shook her head, sending her blonde truffula tree like hair into a wild fit. "No, we do celebrate Christmas."

Oh joy, he thought.

"It's just Papa can't buy a lot of things...So we go without things that aren't pra... _prAAA...pra-_ tic-al." She smiled to herself once she had conquered the word. "That's it, _practical."_

Grinch rolled his eyes and hopped off the chair. "You're not missing out." He said with a snarl. "Christmas is one big joke. It's just about people getting free stuff and complaining about what junk they didn't get."

He walked over to a window and glared out, watching snowflakes drift down onto the mountain tops. His mind began to replay the events of that day, he could swear he could still hear their laughs. His fists were clenched and his jaw was set.

 _I don't need them_ , Grinch thought once more, _I don't need Christmas. I'm a strong, independent...Whatever I am._

"Grinch?" He jumped when he noticed Harriette was standing by him.

"Jeez!" He snapped. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

Harriette tilted her head curiously. "What's that?"

Grinch could have face palmed himself but he caught sight of a faint light coming around the corner of the mountain. Then a cart appeared pulled by a horse...

"Pappa!" Harriette squealed, making Grinch wince from the pitch. "Stay here." She told him before running out to meet her father.

She didn't need to tell him, he felt frozen to the spot. Whatever was left of his heart was pounding loud enough for the whole world to hear.

He needed to get away.

Hue almost jumped off the cart when he saw his daughter run out of the cabin.

"Papa! Papa!" She cried as she jumped up and down. "I need to tell you something!"

Harriette couldn't wait for him to meet Grinch, she hoped her father would like him, even if Grinch was kind of odd and smelly. Yet when her father got off the cart he practically scooped her up in his arms, giving her a crushing hug.

"Good," He sighed. "You're okay..."

Harriette quirked an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Hue was tempted not to tell her, didn't want to worry her, but then in the light that seeped from the windows Hue saw footprints in the snow; Harriette's small ones and a larger set that went to the door.

"Harriette..."

"Hmm?"

"Is someone in there?"

Harriette grinned, looking up at her father. "You wouldn't BELIEVE this, Papa. I met a boy up in the dump-"

"Why were you at the dump at this time?!" He scolded, setting her on the ground. "And what boy are you talking about?"

Harriette suddenly realized she had done something wrong, her happy attitude shrinking by the second. "I...I wanted to get you a gift and then-" She stopped. She realized she hadn't gotten the gift.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. Her mind went.

Hue paid little attention to his daughter's sudden change in mood, he was concerned with the possible danger in their home. Without hesitation the old Who went into his home to be greeted with the sight of a messy kitchen.

"What happened here?"He demanded as he continued his search for the boy.

Harriette rubbed her arm. "Um...Well, Grinch was hungry so I got him something to eat."

Her father paused. "Did you say, Grinch?"

She nodded. "Yeah...He's kind of funny-and a bit grumpy, but I like him."

Hue didn't know what to think. On one hand, he wanted to scold his daughter for not only leaving the house when he was gone but bringing in a possibly dangerous boy into their home. Still, he was happy she was safe.

"Is he still here, Harriette?"

Harriette looked around. "I think so. I told him to stay here to meet you." The child began to run around the small home, looking under furniture, in the closet and trunks but Grinch was nowhere in sight.

Standing in the middle of her room after checking under her bed Harriette's chest tighten. Why did he leave?

Her father walked into the room, scratching his head. "No trace of him...Harriette, look at me." She slowly raised her head to meet her father's stern gaze. "What you did tonight was incredibly irresponsible. You are never to leave this house at night time and never allow strangers in without my permission."

"But Papa!" She protested.

"No. I won't hear it. Now you clean that mess up before I come back or you won't get any presents from Santa this year, young lady." Without another word, Hue walked out of the room to go clear the cart out and put the horse back in its stall.

Harriette felt like she could cry, not just from her father scolding her-something he didn't do often- but from Grinch leaving without any warning. She had hoped they could have been friends but...That seemed like a distant hope to her now.

As she walked out of the room Harriette didn't notice the slight breeze coming from her window which was left a crack open. And underneath that window lead a trail of footsteps that went to the top of Mt. Crumpit.

Grinch had climbed out her bedroom window when she had gone to greet her father. As cowardly as it was, Grinch couldn't stomach meeting another person and possibly be rejected this time.

He had made his way back to his cave and sat down on the cold stone floor, shivering as the night winds brushed by. Even though he had more hair than the average Who Grinch shivered and hugged himself tightly, allowing himself to miss his warm, soft bed at home.

He looked out of the cave, still able to see the warm glow of lights from Whoville.

He didn't them, he told himself as he began drifting off. He was just fine on his own.

* * *

 **Yes. Another chapter. I can hear the angry mob already.**

 **Anyway, I've decided I will continue this story as one of my main projects till New Years. I'm not saying I'll quit it when New Years comes around, but it'll take the back burner to any other stories I might be doing. I don't know, consider this my holiday story for the moment.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally I have finished this chapter! I don't why it took so long, but here it is. I would like to say ahead of time, sorry if Grinch is OOC in anyway. I thought he would still be very bitter after what had happen to him, even if it was months ago. If you have any suggestions or comments on any of the story/characters, please let me know so I can attempt to fix them and make the story better as it goes on.**

 **Other than that, enjoy this piece of trash!**

 **Bonus: Take a shot when ever Grinch becomes a tsundere. (I don't know, I feel like he was one in this chapter...)**

* * *

It would be a few months before the two saw each other face to face again.

Grinch had convinced himself that night that he needed no one and would stay true to those words. For the first week or so he dealt with the solitude fine enough, taking pleasure in the freedom he had without his 'mothers' or peers around him. Yet it wasn't long before it began to take its toll on him. He would find himself longing for someone to talk to or to even sit next to him just so he had some type of contact, he had gone as far as talking to his echo-which strangely developed a mind of its own over time and creating a friend out of a rock. It didn't go well...

"Okay, we need a name for you." He said as he stepped back to evaluate his work. He rubbed his chin, which had healed quicker than he expected, and thought hard. "We need a good name...Something strong, that represents your strength and hard appearance-but something that doesn't make you sound like a smuck."

In the end, Grinch had decided it was too much work to give the rock a good name so he went with this first name that popped off of his head.

"Eh, Jerry is fine with me."

Jerry: "..."

"...We're going to need to work on your social skills."

Sadly, this did not last long. Not even a month later the relationship between Grinch and Jerry went sour due to Jerry not saying the right thing at the right time when Grinch was working on one of many projects.

To make a long story short...Let's just say the events that happened between the two resembled Humpty Dumpty.

Besides trying to make friends out of inanimate objects Grinch passed the time by working on turning his retched cave into a fortress of solitude worthy of a god.

Or at least that's what he convinced himself.

Even though he kept to himself ninety-nine percent of the time, there was that minor percentage where he had some type contact...Sort of.

After their first encounter Grinch returned to the dump a few days later to grab some supplies to create a bed. When he arrived there he had found a basket with a few items of food. He knew right away who it was from and refused the gift quickly, reminding himself that he was independent.

That, of course, didn't last long. Every few days he would find the basket with new food in it and after the third time of not taking it he finally gave in. Even he, the boy who considered raw onions a type of apple, got tired of eating glass, rotten banana peels, and soggy sandwich crust. But he would always wait until night time to get what he needed. He didn't want to take the chance of bumping into that mosey girl. Sure, she seemed nice enough, but he got annoyed by how many questions she'd ask him or how she would just watch him like he was some rare species-or maybe she was just amazed by his good looks, he wasn't quite sure on that one.

Either way, Grinch was stubborn. He wouldn't allow himself to give in to his loneliness so easily. Besides, he told himself one day, she's probably heard about what you've done. She doesn't want to talk to you, she just feels sorry for you.

* * *

It was towards the end of March and the snow was starting to melt away, allowing some of the damp, green grass to peak out to get a bit of the warm sun. A flood of students came pouring out of the classrooms as the final bell rang. The hallways were filled with various voices talking about what they'd do over the weekend. Through it all Harriette and Lisele walked side by side to the front door, talking about what plans they had.

"Mom wants to go furniture shopping," Lisele groaned. "She thinks that the furniture we got is out dated."

Harriette shrugged. "It might be. How old is it?"

"Four months."

"Oh."

Lisele shook her head. "It doesn't help that Augustus is being such a bully. He's been complaining about how Martha doesn't come around anymore and he's been taking out his anger on my toys again!"

Harriette hid a giggle from her friend's pout as she thought about the scenario. It was no secret that Augustus had a crush on Martha May Whovier, one of the prettiest girls in her grade. Lisele would always tell Harriette about how Augustus would just go on and on about her, and how he practically melted when she came over when her mother wanted to spend time with Cornelia.

"Well, why isn't Martha coming over? Aren't they a "couple"?" Harriette used the word loosely, to everyone but Agustus it was obvious the relationship he had with Martha was one-sided.

Lisele sighed and began to play with a brown curl. "I don't know...Ever since that Christmas Eve, she hasn't been herself. Augustus said she had a first-row seat to that boy going crazy. And not to mention he told me the boy had some strange fixation with her! I suppose she must be a bit traumatized-I mean, wouldn't you?"

Harriette didn't answer that. In fact, she rarely commented on things that dated back to that day. Since she returned to school Grinch had been the topic of vicious rumors and stories, older kids would tell younger ones about it in the hopes of getting cheap laughs and the kids who saw it themselves gossiped about it, clinging onto-as it was there only claim to fame in school. She had almost wished she hadn't faked being sick that day so she could have known the truth about the matter.

"Hey, Lisele!" The two girls stopped as they stepped out of the school. Augustus was standing outside with a group of his friends, he had a particularly sour look on his face. Harriette could only guess what that meant.

Augustus wrinkled his nose up when he saw Harriette. He didn't understand why his sister hung out with the blonde twig. After all, their family was one of the most powerful and richest families in Whoville while Harriette's was given the unfavorable title of the poorest. He would have thought his sister would get some common sense and make friends who actually fit into their family's social network, but sadly, it didn't seem like his sister had as much sense as she did eyesight.

"Come on," He said, waving a chubby hand. "Mom wants us home early."

Lisele gave her friend a final goodbye and went over to her brother. Even as they walked away Harriette could make out a comment from Agustus.

"You need to stop hanging out with her so much," He heard him say. "You're starting to smell like her."

Harriette's cheeks redden and she began the long walk to Mt. Crumpit...

By the time she got to the edge of the mountain the embarrassment she had from Agustus's comment had faded away, she was now more concern with the conditions of the path she used to get home.

Mt. Crumpit tended to be slightly colder than the rest of Whoville, even in the summertime, but right now the snow was beginning to melt making the rocks slick and the ground soft. Watching her step Harriette managed to make her way home safely, only to find that her father was gone. He had left a note on the table saying he had a few odd repair jobs to do in town and that he'd be back before dinner.

Harriette smiled to herself. This was one of the few times she was glad her father was gone.

She set her school bag down and began to go through the cupboards, looking for some food that her father wouldn't miss. The girl had made the habit of bringing Grinch any leftovers she could gather or food that was close to going bad, things that people wouldn't really notice if they were to go missing. She did it every few days to not make her father suspicious and so far it had worked.

Harriette made a sandwich with slightly stiff bread and placed a pack of crackers with cheese in the basket as well. It was a lighter load than usual, but the thought of Grinch going through the garbage for food didn't sit right with her-and seeing him eat glass definitely didn't sit right with her at all.

Even though she hadn't seen or spoken to him in the past months, Harriette had decided to give him his space. She had figured he was shy and if she was nice to him, perhaps over time she could gain his trust. Her plan hadn't worked yet but he took the food and that alone made her happy.

Harriette finished wrapping the food up in a cheesecloth and loaded it in the basket. When she went out the door it had started to drizzle.

"Wonderful." She muttered.

She trudged her way up to the dump to leave the basket in the usual spot, as she did she couldn't help but think back to the conversation she had with Lisele that involved Grinch. Everyone talked about him like he was a bad egg to begin with, someone that was bound to snap. But Harriette couldn't fully believe that. Sure he seemed grumpy and sour, but he was civil enough when they talked. If he was as bad as everyone made him out to be, why hadn't he done something to her? She just didn't know what to believe when it came to him.

Once she got close enough to the dump Harriette began to hear the clatter of objects being thrown around and a voice humming an energetic tune. When she could finally see her destination she noticed a tuff of green hair poking out from a pile of trash.

A smile spread across her freckled face and she couldn't stop herself from calling out his name.

"Grinch!"

He froze as he recognized the voice.

He smacked a hand over his face, feeling stupid for being caught so easily-but he had to come down to the dump earlier than normal to find something for his latest project.

Grinch didn't have a chance to get away. Harriette bounded over with surprising speed and smiled at him.

"I haven't seen you in so long!" She beamed, bouncing on her toes in excitement. "How are you? Where have you been? What have you-"

"You know," Grinch interrupted. "I would love to stay and play twenty-questions all day but I happen to have some business to attend to. So..." He looked from her to the basket and back to her, waving a hand. "Skedaddle, will ya."

Harriette's smile flattened and she fought the urge to scowl at him. She sat the basket down and looked over Grinch's shoulder, asking him what he was looking for.

"Things you probably never heard of." He retorted.

"Try me."

Grinch paused. A wonderful thought came to his head. It had been a while since he had done some mischief, perhaps he could have a little bit of fun with Harriette since she was so keen on sticking around.

"Alright then," He said, turning to look up at her. "I need some parts for something I'm building. If you can find them I'll let you come to my place and help me out for a bit, BUT-"He shouted giving her a good fright. "If you fail you can never bother me again...Unless it involves food. Then by all means come and bug me."

At this moment Harriette felt like her honor was at stake-or whatever a kid considered to be honor. She accepted his challenge and got right to work as soon as he told her what he was looking for. Grinch grinned to himself, thinking this would surely stump her but he didn't realize two things.

A) Her father had been repairing toys and broken objects long before she was born. As Harriette grew up she learned a thing or two about different parts it would take to fix something.

And B) Harriette knew this place like the back of her hand. Unlike Grinch, she knew where to look to find what was needed.

It didn't take long for Grinch to feel a tap on his shoulder.

 _Giving up so soon?_ He thought. _What a fun sucker._

But when he turned around he saw Harriette holding different bolts, screws, and springs along with some random junk that got caught up in her hair while she was digging through the trash piles.

Grinch frowned, snatching the objects from her hands and inspected them carefully. To his displeasure, she had gotten them right.

Harriette was smirking proudly as Grinch gave a huff of defeat. "Fine!" He barked. "You can help me-but if you so much as touch something-"

"I won't break anything." She said. "Scouts honor."

He threw a glare at her, warning her she better keep that promise before leading the way to his cave...

Harriette was glad to get to the cave. The path they took wound it's way across the mountain in the form of different ledges and rocks, poking out of the mountainside just enough for them to walk on. Even though she was use to heights by now, the thought of slipping on one of the rocks crossed her mind more than once during that time. And from the distance between there and the ground, it was enough to make her heart jump out of her chest.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Grinch announced. Harriette looked at the mouth of the cave, which was covered with a red curtain with holes on it, with the words CAUTION and DO NOT ENTER painted on with black paint.

"Who would even come up here?" She asked mindlessly.

Grinch shrugged. "I've fought off a couple birds over the months."

"Birds can't read."

"Well SOMEBODY is a know it all, aren't they?"

Harriette laughed as Grinch stomped his way past the curtains with a dramatic flar. She followed him in and her breathe was taken away.

Literally.

"Wh-What is that-ack!" She coughed, covering up her nose from the hideous odor that seemed to run rampant through the damp cave.

"Oh, that?" Grinch said while lighting up a gas lamp. "I have a bit of a bat problem at the moment. Personal, I find the stench just lovely, but I can see how someone with such a delicate nose as yourself," He said as he poked her nose. "Would find this to be overwhelming."

Harriette rolled her eyes and tugged her shirt up to her nose, making it somewhat bearable to breathe. Grinch lighted the way to a section of the cave which had a drop-off.

"I did some exploring and found out there are levels to this thing," Grinch explained. "I'm the type of guy who doesn't like to let things go to waste, so I figured I'd set up camp down there but sadly..." He moved the lantern over a bit to illuminate a rope he crafted made out of bad Christmas neckties.

"Why did you use those?"

Grinch frown. "No matter what trash heap I looked in I found dozens of these things. It was either hang myself with them or put them to some use. That's beside the point, you see, it gets annoying to climb up and down that thing so I've decided to build...THIS!"

He swung the lantern haphazardly past Harriette to shine some light on what he was building. She squinted her eyes to make out the shape of what seemed to be some sort of vertical lift, like an elevator without the walls.

"Isn't she _beautiful_?" Grinch whispered.

"It looks...Nice?" Harriette said. Grinch didn't really hear her, he was too lost in his own pride to notice her existence.

Grinch went over to the contraption and motioned his hand towards the lever. "She's almost done, but I needed some parts to get this stupid thing working. That is where you kind of come in."

Harriette smiled. "What do I have to do?"

"Just stand there and hand me the parts, and tools." He explained. "I don't want you touching anything else. Got it?"

Harriette bobbed her head up and down. "Yes, sir."

"Sir?" He paused for a moment. "Hmm...I could get use to that-"

"No."

"...Fun sucker..."

* * *

Harriette was sitting on the cold stone floor, idly removing any objects she found in her hair as Grinch continued to focus on the lift. The sounds of the clinking and cracking of pieces going into place bounced off the walls in an orchestrated tune, making Harriette cringe every now and then.

"How can you stand the echo in here?" She asked. "I've only been here for a little bit and it's driving me crazy!"

Grinch didn't respond to her. Personally, he didn't mind the sound-it filled up the emptiness of the cave in a sense. That and it took his mind off of those blasted bats.

"Can you hand me a wrench?"

Harriette passed it over and took a peak at his work. "This must have taken a while to plan out..."

"Yeah, a month or so." Grinch said, pulling himself up to view his work. "I think she's ready for another test run."

Harriette became alarmed at the word 'another'. "You mean it hasn't worked before?"

Grinch quirked a thick eyebrow up. "Of course! That's what the tests are for, to make sure things run right." He shook his head and got on top of the lift. "You know, you're starting to make me think what they say about blondes is true."

Harriette bit her cheek to stop herself from saying something she'd regret.

"Okay..."Grinch took a big breath and with a dramatic sweep of his green hand he cried out. "Pull the lever, Blondie!"

 _Gladly_. She thought, yanking the lever down with all her might.

For a second the lift made a few sounds, something similar to a gargle, and then it began to move ever so slowly. Harriette was amazed. It was actually working!

Grinch had a triumphant grin on his face as he shook his fist and shouted into the dark abyss: "HA! Who's laughing now, suckers!"

It was the wrong move. His voice boomed throughout the cave, startling that colony of bats. Not even before his echo died out a chorus of screeches came charging out of the darkness followed by a hundred tiny dark bodies, flying in their direction.

Harriette squeaked in fear, dropping to her knees while Grinch's mouth hung wide open.

"Sweet baby Who-Jesus." Was all he could say before he got engulfed in a cloud of bats.

He screamed and flailed his arms around, swatting the pests away. In the middle of the madness, he began to back off the lift, falling four feet down to the ground on his butt.

"OWIE!" He shrieked, gaining Harriette's immediate attention.

Gaining her courage, she grabbed the lantern and crawled over to the edge of the drop, leaning over a bit to let the light shine down.

"Grinch!" She called out in a panic. "Grinch! Are you okay? Did you die? Did you get rabies?!"

She heard a groan followed by some muttered comment about blondes. She felt relived that he was okay and soon after she began to laugh.

Grinch heard her laughing. At first, he was confused, then he was pissed. "STOP IT!" He snapped. It didn't work, she kept laughing. His cheeks got hot and he felt his hairs bristle as he stood up again, telling her to knock it off.

"I-I'm sorry!" She giggled, trying to snuff out her laughter. For Harriette, she wasn't laughing at Grinch. It was just once things had calm down she had realized how absurd the whole situation was. She couldn't help herself but to laugh at it.

But Grinch didn't think of it like that. His heart was racing and he could see his classmates before him, laughing at him. Mocking him. He hated it. He hated them.

"Stop laughing, you idiot!" He yelled in a fit of rage. "If that's all you're going to do then get out!"

Harriette stopped. It became apparent to her that there was a misunderstanding. "Grinch, I didn't mean any-" She began.

"GET OUT!" He screamed again. "I never want to see your face again!"

The message had come loud and clear. Harriette's chest tightened up and her mouth trembled a bit.

"Fine!" She retorted, slamming the lamp down. "Have fun with your dumb old lift and your crazy bats!"

Grinch 'humpf' to that as he heard her footsteps echo away.

"Good riddance."

Outside the cave, it had started to rain. Harriette didn't seem to notice, she was in the middle of dealing with a storm of emotions inside of her head.

"I was just trying to be nice." She said to herself as she walked down the treacherous rock path. "I just wanted to be friends with him...But he is so...So...He's so terrible!" She cried the last part, almost hoping Grinch would hear it. As she kept walking her body became soaked by the rain, making the tears of anger barely noticeable on her face. "He's vile...He's rude...He smells like unwashed soc-AH!"

In the middle of her monologue, Harriette had forgotten to pay attention to her steps. She a lost her footing on a slick rock, making her slide off of it, giving her barely any time to catch herself on a small ledge below it. Her finger tips clutched onto the wet ledge for all it was worth, her feet dangling lifelessly in the air.

Harriette began to panic, she tried to pull herself up but she barely had to strength in her arms to hold on.

"Don't look down..." She muttered. "Don't look down..."

And she did the cliche thing to do.

She looked down.

To her horror, there was a steep drop below her. There was no other immediate rock or ledge for her to slide onto, and even if she did slide down there would be no guarantee she would be alive by the time she got to solid ground.

Her mind was going fuzzy. This couldn't be it, could it?

She began to scream. She hoped Grinch might hear her or that her father might have returned home and he'd be able to hear her call. It seemed like a far fetched idea, but now was not the time to think things through!

Her fingers ached and cramp, threatening to give out as they continued to edge their way closer to the edge against Harriette's will.

Just a little longer...

"Help! Please, anyone!" She sobbed.

All seemed lost for the poor child as one hand finally gave out. She screamed in fear, snapping her eyes shut as she braced herself for the wind rushing past her as she fell. But instead she felt something hairy around her wrist.

That's right.

Another cliche.

Harriette opened her eyes to met the pair of yellow ones looking down at her.

"I leave you alone for a minute and you're already in mortal danger." He tisked. "Not very responsible, Harriette."

Harriette didn't know how to respond, mostly because she was still hanging on the edge and because she was shocked that Grinch had actually came.

Grinch leaned forward, digging his heals into the ground and pulled her up with all of his strength- which is rather in _who_ man for a boy of his age. He grunted and hissed as he pulled her up to safety. Harriette scrambled onto the ledge as soon as she could, putting her back against the mountain as she caught her breath. She placed a hand over her heart and vowed to never complain about gym class again.

Grinch had his back to her as he looked down over the edge. He cringed a bit as a horrible thought crossed his mind; the thought of him not coming in time.

He didn't want to think about it. Sure Grinch was bitter over many, _many_ things and his heart might have shrunk to the size of a small mouse-but that didn't mean he didn't have a heart.

"You know you're lucky I came." He stated, turning to her. "You would have become a pancake if it was-GACK!"

Harriette had jumped up and hugged him, catching the boy off guard. She was a bit taller than him so she had him in a crushing grip against her chest.

"Thank you." She whispered hoarsely.

Grinch was speechless. He had expected something like this to happen, yes, but he didn't expect the result of it would be this strange, warm-almost bubbling feeling inside of his chest. It spread up from his chest up to his cheek, making a small hue of red appear on his moss green skin.

They stood like that for a moment or two before Grinch pushed her off.

"Umm...Yeah." He stammered, looking away from her. "Don't mention it...So are we...You know...Even?"

Translation: **I'm sorry for what happened. Can we please forget about it?**

Harriette nodded. "Of course."

"Good!" He cried a bit too loudly. "I mean...Good, yeah...Well, since you're a danger to yourself I guess I'll take you home. But don't get use to doing this damsel in distress junk! I'm my own knight in shinning armor- _no one_ else! _Capisce_?"

Harriette smiled a bit at his choice of words and agreed to his terms. With that, Grinch took her hand and began to take her back to the dump.

As they descended, Harriette had made up her mind that Grinch wasn't that bad after all. Even if he didn't want to show it, deep down under the sarcasm and smelly green hair, he had a good heart.

Even if it was two sizes too small.


End file.
